Students traveling by car should arrive between 8:00-8:10 am (9:00-9:10 am on late-start Wednesdays). We ask that drivers take their places in the line running from the front of the school (red doors) and out along Denmark Avenue. A staff person will help your child from the vehicle along the school sidewalk. We ask for your cooperation and support in order to keep the drop-off line moving and the school-day on schedule.

If you are picking up your child by car after school, please arrive when the school-day ends at 2:30 pm. Our staff is busy before and after this time with preparations, meetings, appointments, etc. and it is difficult to also supervise children. The afternoon procedure is the same as the morning, with vehicles in line for curbside pick-up.

If you need to come into the school at drop-off or pick-up time, please park in the lot and—for safety reasons during this heavy-traffic time—walk hand-in-hand with your child to the school building. If you are coming into school during the day, please park in the small front lot. For larger events, it is best to park in the larger lot to the south of the building; for overflow parking during these events, we ask that you park along the west side of Denmark Avenue (school side) and not the east side.

(see Nuts and Bolts video for a visual on drop off and pick up routines)

Bus transportation is provided to anyone residing in the Northfield School District through the Benjamin Bus Company. In the morning, buses pick up children at stops near their homes and arrive at the Northfield Middle School, where students transfer to buses that then come directly to Prairie Creek. These buses pull up and park along the designated bus lanes and deliver students to the green doors on the plaza that lead to the concourse inside the school.

The bus transportation changes each year, and is usually determined shortly before school starts. Families should receive information and schedules in the mail directly from Benjamin Bus, with morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off times at your child’s specific neighborhood stop.

In out-of-district areas such as Faribault, Farmington, Lakeville, Apple Valley, Rosemount, Cannon Falls, Nerstrand, etc., reimbursement for driving from home school districts is available upon parent request for qualifying families. Check with local school district business office for procedures.

In order for the ride on the bus to be both safe and pleasant for everyone (including the bus driver), students are expected to follow the bus company rules and behave with the same consideration for others as we expect at school. This means that students are to remain in their seats except when exiting and entering, that they are not to annoy anyone either physically or verbally, and that they are to keep their voices at a conversational level. It also means that they must respond to the bus driver's directions quickly and cooperatively.

Every year school staff talk with the children about appropriate bus behavior and would appreciate the additional support of parents doing the same. If a child is having difficulty on the bus, especially on the Prairie Creek bus or with another Prairie Creek child, please inform the school office and we will do what we can to correct the situation. High and consistent expectations on the part of the adults for courteous behavior by the children usually result in a low incidence of problems for our students on the bus.

Lunch & Snack

Students pack their own snacks from home. Prairie Creek encourages families to provide nutritious, high-protein snacks in order to sustain their kids' energies through the day. Keep in mind, too, that teachers notice personality and behavior changes after some children have eaten a quantity of sugar, and most seem steadier without it. Snack routines can look different at each developmental level so please contact your child's classroom teacher if you have snack questions.

Milk to go along with snack is available for purchase.

We encourage reusable or recyclable containers that don't add to the school's waste stream, rather than prepackaged snacks. Neither refrigeration nor microwaving is available for snacks or home-packed lunches.

For lunch & breakfast students can either order a meal from the school's lunch & breakfast service or pack one from home.

Our lunch program is catered by Done Right Food . The menu provides of flavorful, kid-friendly meals packed with good taste and sound nutrition. They create menus featuring simple ingredients: whole-grain sandwiches with lean meats and cheeses; green leafy salads; fresh fruits and vegetables with dips; nourishing soups and other hot entrees. We offer a vegetarian option every day.

Parents, order lunches, breakfasts and milks in advance from school (see Forms/Links).

For students who bring lunches from home, milk is available on the order form.

Waste-free friendly tips for families who send lunches for their kids:

-Packing student meals in lunch boxes or reusable sacks

-Putting food in reusable food and drink containers that students can bring back home, wash, and use again

-Including only cloth napkins (or none at all) and reusable utensils

-Instructing kids who bring prepackaged items to repack the trash and bring it back home

The price of a school lunch (which includes milk) is $3.55 and breakfast is $1.80

Milk for snack and home-packed lunches is $.30

Breakfast is free for kindergartners.

Families are encouraged to complete applications for free or reduced-price student meals and turn them in to the office. Prairie Creek will notify you if your family meets the income qualifications. This process is completely confidential.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race,color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

At Prairie Creek's lunch service, there can never be too many cooks in the kitchen! Our staff lunch coordinator is Liz Grossman. The program operates with the assistance of volunteer labor who help serve and clean up. The benefits of this arrangement are many: meal prices stay low, servers get better acquainted with students as they come through the line and around the tables, and parents get to mix and mingle with each other as they work together feeding the school.

If you would like to volunteer (from 11:30 am-12:15 pm), sign up through Sign-up Genius.